Improvement in gages for trimming lamp-wicks



W. Y. A. BOARDMAN.

GAGES FOR mmmm LAMP-WICKS.

No.176,2'71. Patented April 18, 1876.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM Y. BOARDMAN, OF WEST MEDWAY, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAGES FOR TRIMMING LAMP-WICKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 1 76,27 l, dated April 18, 1876; application filed March 6, 1876.

' lowing is a full, clear, and exact. description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification. v

The object of my invention is to provide a means whereby the flat wicks of lamps may be securely held while cutting them with scissors, and at the same timeto supply a gage which may direct and guide the blades of the scissors, and enable the operator to cut the wick easily and rapidly, andparallel to the top of the wick-tube, so that the wick, when trimmed, will burn with a clear and even flame. 1

Figure l in the accompanying drawing represents the top of a lamp with the wick-tube, wick, and the gage applied to the wick in the position for trimming. Fig.2 is a vertical section through wick, gage, and wick-tube.

A is a sheet-metal plate, preferably made with tongues 15 t t formed on the bottom of the same. The two outer tongues t and t are bent at right angles-with the body of the plate A, to form shoulders s, which rest upon the Itop of the wick-tube w. The lower parts of the tongues t and t are bent downward into planes parallel with the wick-tube 'w. The middle tongue t lies in the same plane as the body of the plate A. The tongues t and t abut against the outside of the wick-tube w,

and the tongue t abuts against the inside of the said wick-tube when the gage is in use. The top of the plate A is bent into a horizontal plane, 1), parallel to the plane in which lie the shoulders 8. To the upper part of the plate A is riveted or otherwise attached one limb of the bent spring 1', the other limb of the same being formed into a toothed jaw, e, the teeth of which are bent toward the plane 1).

In. use, the wick n is run up out of the wicktube to, and the gage is placed upon the top of the said wick'tube, as shown in Fig. 1, the tongues t and t being on the outside, the tongue if being on the inside, and the shoulders s resting upon the top of the said wicktube, in which position the plane 1) is parallel with the top of the said wick-tube. The wick n is then turned down or up to a height that will leave the portion of the wick desired to be cut off projecting above the plane 10 of the gage. The thumb and finger of one hand are then employed to close down the toothed jaw 0 upon the wick, and at the same time to press the gage firmly downward upon the wick-tube w. The wick n is thus firmly held from slip ping away from the blades of the scissors while cutting the wick, such slipping of oily wicks being one of the obstacles heretofore encountered in trimming lamp-wicks evenly. By laying one of the scissor-blades flatly upon the plane 19 of the gage while said gage is held upon the top of the wick-tube, as heretofore described, the scissors are guided to make a cut parallel with the top of the wick-tube to. After the superfluous part of the wick has been cut away in the inannerdescrihed, a slight beveling of. the outer corners, each corner bein g truncated by a single cut of the scissors,

completes the trimming.

I claim- The gage for trimming lamp-wicks, having the shoulders s, the tongue 17, the gaging-plane p, parallel to the plane in which the said shoulders lie, and the spring clamping-jaw 6, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM Y. A. BOARDMAN.

Witnesses GHAs. H. DEANs, V. R. GooMBs. 

